Penn Nine Squeaks Past Harvard, 3-2; Crimson Batmen Take on Navy Today

It was Friday the thirteenth, and as luck would have it, Bob Seddon's young and 'inconsistent' Quaker ball club came up with a strong pitching effort by sophomore Andy Muhlstock to edge the previously unbeaten Crimson 3-2 in Philadelphia.

Up through the fifth inning it was anyone's game, with Harvard ace Roz Brayton working on a no-hitter and Muhlstock allowing only three hits. Brayton, who picked up a pair of wins while Harvard swept its 13-game Florida tour, ran into trouble in the sixth when, with two out, he walked Ken Mulvaney and Don Valenzo.

This set the stage for catcher Bill Buman's two-run double, giving Penn a lead it never lost. Brayton allowed his second hit, a single, after that, but got out of the inning with a strike out.

Errors

Penn got its third run in the seventh, following an error and a passed ball. With one out, center fielder John Geary reached base on a single. A throwing error by Crimson catcher Rick Briditch on the attempted steal gave Geary second, and a passed ball moved him over to third.

Gary Ozga, the ninth man in the order, rapped another single to score the winning run.

Harvard rallied in the ninth, but came up a run short. With one away, first baseman Leigh Hogan banged a base hit into right and moved into scoring position on a walk to Jimmy Stoeckel. Following a fly out by Dave St. Pierre, Hal Smith drove Hogan home with a single, putting Harvard on the board.

Flew Out

Second baseman Larry Barbiaux sent Stoeckel across the plate with a single, but that was all Harvard could muster. Pinch hitter Joe Sciolla flew out to end the game.

Brayton went eight innings allowing four hits and four walks, while striking out three. Muhlstock, who boosted his record to 5-1, had seven strikeouts and two walks on route to his five hitter.

The win was the third for Penn against one loss in the Eastern League. It was the first league game for the Crimson, which are favored to finish strong again this year. Harvard won the championship last season, edging Cornell 3-2 in a playoff game.

The Crimson squad travels to Navy today to take on the Mid-shipmen in a double header. Coach Park, however, feels that Penn has a stronger team than Navy. "I haven't seen Navy this year, but I know they have strong pitching. But they shouldn't be as tough as Penn," he said.